Cigar-tip cutter



(No Model.)

G. H. RODGERS.

GIGAR TIP GUTTER.

No. 542,502. Patented July 9, 1895.

Nrrn- *raras GEORGE Il. RODGERS, OF SOMERVILLE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO NATHAN SCHLOSS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ClGAR-TlP CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 542,502, dated July 9, 1895.

Application filed November 19, 1894. Serial No. 529,279. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. RoDenns, ot Somerville, county of Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Cigar-Tip Cutters, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters and numerals on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to devices for cutting off the tips of cigars, the Wrapper on the butt ends of cigars being so secured thereon as to prevent a draft through the iller unless cut or punctured. v 1

Various devices have been designed to cut olif the tip of the cigar'by the movement of a cutting-bla`de across an opening in a plate and in which the tip of the cigar is inserted. My invention relates to that class of tipcutters, and has for its object the production of a simple and efficient device whereby the tip of the cigar is cut ott Without tearing or injuring the adjacent part of the wrapper.

My invention also includes a Ycigar-'tip cutter provided with a dice-shaking or similar device actuated each time the cutter is operated toimpart a sudden rotative movement to a suitable carrier and thereafter to stop such rotation, the stoppageof rotation being under the control of the operator, if desired.

In accordance therewith my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and operation of the machanism, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure l, in top or plan View and partly broken out, represents a cigar-ti p cutter ernbodying my invention. Fig. 2 isalongitudinal sectionalview thereof on the line com, Fig. l; and Fig. Sis a transverse section of the apparatus on the line on Fig. l, looking to thel right.

I have herein shown the apparatus as supported in a casing A, preferably made in sec-` tions for convenience and mounted on a suitable base B, the top A of the casing having one or more circular openings, as ot a', therein to receive the tip of a cigar, said openings being of dilerent diameter to accommodate different sizes of cigars and beveled, the openings being heren shown as located in the direction of the length of the casing. A tipcutter, shown as a at plate b, is pivoted at the under side of the top A on a post b',

shouldered at b2 to retain the plate close to the top, a spring s, surrounding the post b', having one end held by a fixed pin 11X, While the free end ot' said spring bears against a stud or projection b3 on the underside of the plate b. The spring acts to normally move the tip-cutter in the direction of the arrow 20, Fig.`1, until stopped by a projection o2 (see dotted lines Fig. l) on the under side of the top A', holes b4 and b5 in the plate h at such'time registering with the openings a and `ct in said top. The edges ot' the holes are beveled to form a continuous sharp cuttingedge, as clearly shown iniFigs. 2 and 3, the edges normally coinciding with and being adjacent to the lower edges of the openings a and a.

The vunder side of the tip-cutter b has a projection or lug a3 thereon'in the path of a projecting portion of the actuator c, (shown best in Figs. 2 and 3 as a lever,) pivoted on a spindle c', held in bearings d and d', the bearing d, as shown in Fig. 8, extending across the casing from end to the other side and dividing it into two compartments for a pur-- pose to be described, the bearing cl2 being shown assecured to or forming a part of one side of the casing.

The actuator exten ds through a vertical slot `in the side Wall of the casing, (indicated by dott-ed `lines in Fig. 3,) and is provided at its outer end with a hand-piece c2, by which it may be depressed against the action of a spring s', shown as coiled around the hub c3 of the actuator, one end of the spring being secured at 0X to the actuator, and the other end being held in fixed position by a suitable stop on the casing. I have shown the inner end of the actuator as bifurcated to receive therein a projection, shown as a pawl e, pivoted at e and normally extendingabove the actuator suliiciently to engage the lug or pro` jection a3 on the tip-cutter when the handpiece o2 is depressed, the pawl being held in its outermost position by a spring s2, held lin a suitable recess in the actuator, as very IOO clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 8, a stop-pin es engaging the other end of the pawl and preventing undue movement thereof.

It will be obvious that when the actuator is depressed the lug 0,3 of the tip-cutter will be p engaged by the upwardly-projecting end of against the stop a2 by the force of the spring.

s, and if the forward positive movement given to the tip-cutter by the depression of the actuator is not sufficient to completely sever 'the tip of a cigar inserted into one or the other of the holes in the casing the rapid return movement of the tip-cutter, caused by the spring s, will complete the severance of the tip.

It will be noticed that the cigar does not have to be pressed into the opening in the casing and the registering-opening in the top of the cutter; but it is merely held there with one hand while the operator depresses the `actuator with the other hand, and consequently there is no danger of fracturing 'or tearing the/wrapper adjacent to the cutter.

In the compartment at the right of the transverse partition d, I have mounted a rotatable spindlef in suitable bearings f and f2, the spindle having secured thereto a notched or ratchet wheel f3, a portion of its periphery projecting through the cut-away part dx of the partition d, so that the teeth are in the path of a depending finger a4, se.- cured to or forming a part of the tip-cutter and having suflicient resilience to pass over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel when the tipcutter is moved positively by the actuator c, the resiliency of the finger a4 then forcing it into position to engage the radial side of one of the teeth as the tip-cutter is swung back rapidly by its controlling-spring. This quick impact of the linger against one of the teeth of the ratchet-wheel f3 imparts a sudden rotation to the wheel and its spindle, and I have utilized this in this instance of myinvention by erecting a circular wall f4 upon the upper side of the ratchet-wheel to form a carrier, in which I place a set of dice, and preferably the wall is provided at its inner side with a series of projections f 5, against which the dice are thrown.

The spindle and dice-carrier may be allowed to come to rest gradually, after being set in motion, by maintaining the actuator depressed for a sufcient length of time or the rotation may be instantaneously stopped by allowing consequently preventing any rotation of the ratchet-wheel. The depression of the actuator withdraws the stop-pin from engagement with the ratchet-wheel before the tip-cutter has been released, and not only the sudden rotation imparted to the carrier but also the sudden stoppage of rotation will throw the dice around or shake them to present different faces when the carrier is brought to rest.

rIhe top A of the casing is provided with a sight-opening A5, and a pane of glass g is heldin place against the flange surrounding said opening by a bead g', of wire, secured to the top, or in any other suitable manner, so that. the faces of the dice may be examined through such protected opening.

An opening B. is made in the base, through which the severed tips may be removed from time to time, the openingv being. normally covered by a swinging cover B2 of any usual construction.

I have herein shown the casing as secured to the base by screws S extended through lugs or ears 30 on the interior of the casing, and the top A is removably secured to the side walls of the casing by suitable screws S', extended through the casing and into depending lugs 35 on the top.

While I have shown a rotatable dice carrier or shaker as mounted upon a rotatable spindle,it is obvious that l may use the same as an advertising device, if so desired, by making the opening in the top segmental in shape and by displaying a series of advertisements in segmental spaces on the top of a circular plate, which may be supported on the circular wallf4 or otherwise.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement of parts as herein shown and described, for, so far as I am aware, it is broadly new to sever the tip of a cigar by a swinging knife positively operated in one direction by a normally-disengaged actuator, the continued movement of said actuator releasing the tip-cutter, which is returned to its normal position by a spring, and, so far as I am aware, it is broadly new to com bine with atip-cuttera carrier to which sudden rotation is imparted by or through the operative movement of the actuator.

I claim- 1. A cigar-tip cutter, consisting of a casing having an opening for the tip of a cigar, a tipcutter movable across said opening and having a circular bevel-edged opening normally registering with the opening in the casing, to cut the tip, a spring to move the cutter in one direction, and a normally disengaged actuator to positively move the cutter in the other direction and thereafter release it, substantially as described.

2. A cigar-tip cutter, consisting of a casing having an opening for the tip of a cigar, a tipcutter movable across said lopening and having a bevel-edged opening normally registering with the opening in the casing, to cut the tip, and a lug on the cutter, combined with a ICO IIO

IZO

` cutter in the other direction, continued movement of the actuator disengaging said pawl and lug, substantially as described.

3. A cigar-tip cutter, consisting-of a casing having an opening for the tip ot' a cigar, a manually controlled actuator pivoted in said casing, and a projection on the actuator, combined with a tip-cutter movable across the opening in the casing, a spring to retract it, and a lug on said cutter in the path ofthe projection, movement of the actuator in one direction causing engagement of the projec tion and lug, to operate the cutter against the action of its spring, substantially as described. Y

4. The combination With the following instrumentalities viZ:-a casing, a swinging plate pivoted thereto, a spring to move it in one direction, an actuator to positively move said plate in the other direction and autom atically release it, a rotatable carrier, means to impart sudden rotation thereto by the spring actuated movement ot' the swinging plate, and a manually controlled detent to stop such rotation, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the following in- Strumentalities vim-acasing having a sight opening therein, a swingingplate provided with a lug and pivoted to the casing, aspring to move it in one direction, an actuator, a yielding pawl thereon to engage the lugand move the plate in the other direction, con- 35 tinued movement of the actuator disengaging the pawl and lug, a rotatable carrier mounted below the sight opening, means to impart sudden rotation to the carrier, and means controlled by the actuator to thereafter stop the 4o carrier, substantially as described.

6. The combination with the following instrumentalities Vizz-a casing, a swingingm plate pivoted thereto, a spring to retract it,

an actuator for and normally disengaged from 45 said plate, a projection on the actuator, alug on the plate in the path of said projection, movement of the actuator in one direction causing engagement ofthe proj eetion; and lug,

to operate the plate against the action of' its 5o spring, a rotatable spindle having a notched disk thereon, a striker on the swinging plate movable in the path of and to rotate the disk, and a detent controlled by the actuator to stop such rotation, substantially as described. '5 

